Irish Examiner Calls For Ban on Legal Recreational Drugs

It is incomprehensible that when Gardai are cracking down on drug barons, pills five times stronger than ecstasy can be bought over the counter in Ireland by anyone over the age of 18

So begins the Irish Examiner editorial on the legal availability of “mind altering drugs” in Ireland. It is, of course, old news. The story was reported in the Irish Independent in late August. So why run it as a headline piece? It would seem that the paper wants to create a sense of crisis, and if this was the aim of the piece, then it achieved its purpose. Chances are that the ever-anal liveliners will be rising from their lavatories and shaking their walking sticks/shotguns/tea-towels in Outrage that “dangerous” drugs will be available to their children and grandchildren. And no doubt, the first minister that Joe corners will make a solemn commitment to do something about this terrible crisis.

So what makes these drugs so dangerous? Well, Des Corrigan from Trinity College School of Pharmacy claims that “the main concern would be dehydration and the risk of heat stroke. The other concerns would be headaches and a flu like hangover that lasts a few days. There is also the risk of panic reactions and high blood pressure.”

Now, call me crazy, but these sound like the typical symptoms of somebody returning from a summer music festival or sun-holiday. Alcohol can cause the exact same effects when consumed in large quantities, and let’s face it, when we drink, it’s not normally moderately. The fact is that alcohol causes far more damage to this country than any of the pills mentioned in the article. It’s linked to violence, drink driving, spousal abuse, teen deviance and workplace absence. Let’s not forget, that it is also linked to the use of other drugs and many different health problems, in both mind and body.

So where are the calls to ban alcohol? Why is it that the legal availability of all drugs bar alcohol, nicotine and caffeine, is viewed as a failure of government while alcohol is advertised during sporting events watched by tens of thousands of young people? Why is it that music festivals can be sponsored by groups seeking to promote alcohol use in a country where accident and emergency rooms are overflowing with alcohol related illnesses and injuries?

The Irish Examiner’s editorial asks us:

Must there be tragedy before action is taken?

Well, in the case of alcohol, tragedies happen every day. Today alone, many people will die in this country because of alcohol. Walk into our hospitals and it soon becomes clear that alcohol abuse is far more worthy of a headline piece than Pep Pills and hallucinogens. No minister would ever call for a ban on alcohol; it would be political suicide. Ian Paisley was mocked for referring to alcohol as “The Devil’s buttermilk,” but in certain respects, the man has a point.

The reason that alcohol will not be banned is that it’s a majority past-time. The reason that it should not be banned is because we have a natural right to informed choice, so long as exercising that right does not impinge on the ability of others to make informed choices. It’s absolutely mindboggling that the Irish Examiner can run headline piece on the dangers of the availability of legal drugs while promoting their use on page 29 without somebody raising an eyebrow. You could choke on the hypocrisy.

Before any politician decides to ban these substances, it would be a worth while exercise to examine the consequences of such a move. Would it stop the use of such drugs? Well, no, it would not. Illegal drugs are available all around this country in every town and village. It would just mean that the people currently using these drugs would have to start giving their money to the unsavoury types that deal in illegal goods. In effect, a ban would help to raise the profits and the power of the drug barons that the Irish Examiner points Gardai are attempting to crack down on. It would force those people who wish to pursuit a minority past time into the hands of thugs, murders and human traffickers.

I’m not what people would call a drug user. That’s partly because I don’t want to support drug barons, partly because I’d have health concerns, but also I don’t use coke or ecstasy for the same reason I’d never work in McDonalds or wear tracksuits. I’m a bit of a snob to be honest. My drug of choice is alcohol and I’d rather not associate with the typical coke or ecstasy users who amuse and disgust me in equal measure. That said, my snobbery does not justify a legal prohibition on the availability of the substances the Irish Examiner would have us ban.

The role of government should be to objectively inform people of the risks associated with the use of substances, so that informed choice is possible. If the government wants to encourage people to turn away from drug use and abuse, then it will have to start promoting alternative past times, hobbies and lifestyles. There’s nothing wrong with the government promoting alternatives to drug use, but when it starts to infringe upon our natural right to choice, they become the problem.

To be honest, I expect that by this time next month, the government will have made some move to ban the pills that the Examiner article targets. No doubt such a move would boost the re-election chances of many politicians, but if that happens, the people of Ireland will be the ones to lose out.